Kupalinka
by Moonlight-is-Innocence
Summary: Matthew lives a normal life, despite his less than normal family. Alfred is what one might call a jack-of-all-trades and often attempts many crazy schemes. Now, he's come up with something dangerous and supernatural... And he's dragging Matthew with him.
1. Chapter 1

Well, here it is, my newest story and it's actually not a one-shot! *proud of herself* =D

**Note**: I'm putting all this only in the first chapter so that I don't have to keep on repeating myself. I may add author's notes still, though, if I feel like I need to.

**Note #2**:Oh, and I realize all the phone calls are kind of weird o_o;; You people are smart, you'll figure it out.

_ITALICS _are phone calls, foreign language (I may neglect this more with Prussia because I speak German so I tend to add more German words than other other foreign language and it's a hassle to italicize them all), thoughts, and stressed words. And if anyone notices any errors in my foreign language, especially French since I don't really know any, then let me know!

**Disclaimer**: Hetalia and all associated characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and FUNimation.

**Summary**: Set in a fictional United States, small-town boy Matthew lives a relatively normal life, despite his less than normal family. His brother Alfred is what one might call a jack-of-all-trades and often attempts many crazy schemes. This time he's come up with something dangerous and supernatural. And he's dragging Matthew along with him.

Enjoy the first chapter of _Kupalinka_! Please tell me what you think =)

* * *

_Alfred came to me with a proposition…_

_There has been rumour of a witch that lives in the woods on the border of the state. They say she is like the snow… In both her incredible beauty and frigid heart._

_Alfred… He wants to find her…_

_And be rid of her…_

_

* * *

_

"_Matt, I need an answer_."

Matthew was broken out of reverie by his brother's voice crackling over the phone.

"_Are you with me or aren't you_?"

"Alfred… You're my brother and I love you but… Think about it. I have a job, rent and car payments. You… have jobs… sometimes… And just think of how dangerous this could be! Not about the witch, I'm not entirely convinced by those rumors, but it's dangerous to go into those woods not knowing what you're doing—"

"_Hey! I'll have you know I'm a top-notch Eagle Scout!_"

"—and what if something goes wrong? How will you keep in contact with anyone? What if you get hurt? What if—"

"_Mattie… Please. Like I said, I know what I'm doing. I go camping really deep in the forest all the time. And all those things—well, that's partly why I'm asking you to come along with me!_"

The young man gave a sarcastic look to the receiver of the phone. "Al, you're not just dragging me along to be your lackey?"

"_Of course not!_"On the other side of the line, the young man's brother waved a hand and smiled into the phone. "_And it'll be just like old times! Like when we were little_."

"Alfred, that's not a good thing. We were always getting lost on your little 'adventures'!"

Alfred smiled sheepishly."_Well, okay then… It'll only kind of be like old times. We won't get lost. And… Mattie, you're the only one I trust enough to take along with me…_"

"Al…" The fair-haired young man frowned and sighed. There was no way to say no now…

"Fine. I'll do it, Alfred. I'll go with you."

"_You will? Really, Mattie? Aw, man, you're the best!_"

"On one condition."

Alfred paused. "_And that would be_?"

"We tell Arthur."

"_No, man. I'm telling anything to that stuffy, overbearing—_"

"Alfred, we have to tell someone we know. What if something happens to one or both of us and we have no way to contact anyone? Someone needs to know that we're actually missing and not just… taking a vacation or something. Besides, he has a right, Alfred. He practically raised us—"

"_That man did not raise me_."

"Alfred…"

"_No, Mattie. Maybe you're gonna tell 'im but I ain't tellin' him nothin'_."

Matthew let out a frustrated sigh, knowing full well that his brother was more stubborn than a mule. "Alright, Al, you win. You don't have to talk to Arthur."

"_Thank you_."

"If it's alright with you, I'm going to make some phone calls now, so I have to get off the phone with you. I'll start getting ready to leave and be over at your house in a few days."

"_Sure, Mattie, sounds good. G'night, lil' bro!_"

"Good night, Alfred." With that, the receiver fell back into its resting place and Matthew heaved another sigh. "What have I gotten myself into?" He muttered

* * *

The shrill of the phone cut through the peaceful silence of the evening. The blond man rose up from his rose garden and entered the house, answering the call.

"_Bonjour~ Bonnefoy residence~"_

"_Ah, Mathieu! How good to hear from you!"_

"_What? Non, absolutely not! I forbid you!"_

"…_Mathieu… Are you sure you're okay with this? Alfred is not bullying you into it?"_

"_Oui! I realize that but… Well, I suppose if you are sure. I cannot stop you."_

"_Yes, be very careful and if you get into trouble, do not hesitate to call me! Oui, oui… __Bonne nuit."

* * *

_

"_Hello, Kirkland residence, Arthur speaking."_

"Hello, Arthur."

"_Ah, Matthew, my boy! How are you this evening?"_

"I'm well, Arthur. And yourself?"

"_Ah, grinding my teeth as of late, but well enough. Now, what seems to be the matter, my boy? You sound somewhat anxious."_

"Well… You see, Arthur. There's something I've got to tell you…"

The ash-blond man raised one dark, thick eyebrow. "_Do continue_."

"Well… I'm going somewhere for a while. I don't know when I'm going to be back."

"_You don't have the law after you…?_"Arthur asked, incredulously.

"No, it's nothing like that. It's just… Alfred… asked me a favor."

"_Oh, Matthew_…" Arthur sighed. "_That boy is harassing you into some cockamamie scheme of his, I can feel it in my bones_!"

"Cockamamie…? Ah, no! He's… he's not harassing me. Like I said, he asked me a favor and, while I wasn't thrilled about it at first… Well, he's convinced me to go."

"_Go where, exactly_?"

"Well… You know that forest at the border… the one they say is home to a witch of haunting beauty and cruelty?"

"_No! Oooooh, no! You are not sacrificing your time and energy for one of_that_ boy's stupid, half-arsed plans to go after a witch! Do you know how dangerous that forest is? Regardless of whether there actually lives a witch or not! There's a reason why people steer very clear of that area_!"

By the end of his tirade, the Briton was fuming. "_Matthew, I forbid you to go. As well as you recognize me as a parent, you are like a son to me. I'm not going to let you waste your life like that!_"

Matthew waited until his pseudo-father had calmed down before continuing. "Arthur, even if I would not go, Alfred will. And... He's my brother. My _i__real_ _/i_brother. I'm sorry, I can't leave him behind. I told him the same, about the forest, but you know how stubborn he is. I'm going, whether you forbid me or not. I'm going."

Arthur glared into the phone. He could not help his caustic reply, as fear and bad memories stirred inside him. "_Fine! Be as ungrateful as that whelp! I thought you had some common sense, but I suppose I didn't raise you well enough. Good evening_."

The young man let out a heavy sigh. "That went about as well as I expected it would… Only one more person."

* * *

Knock. Knock.

"Who de hell ist dumm enough to disturb de awesome ME?"

Matthew rolled his eyes and waited for Gilbert to answer the door.

"Gilbert, it's cold outside and already getting dark. Would you mind hurrying it up?" The boy answered.

The sound of thumping footsteps inside the house quickened and the door opened moments later. Matthew met his friend's dark eyes with a smile. "Hey."

"Heya, Matt! Vat brings you hier?"

"Umm… I was in the neighborhood, eh?"

"Mattie… Our town isn't _that_ small. You live at least 15 minutes avay. Vat are you doing hier?"

The blond looked about and motioned towards the house. "How about we go inside and talk. Ja?"

"HAHAHAHA! JA! Awesome, Matt! Ja, ve vill go inside."

The albino man swept an arm out, inviting his friend into the house. The blond smiled again and walked inside the familiar abode. He made his way to the comfort of the kitchen, with Gilbert following along behind. The German made a beeline for the refrigerator and held out a beer in offering to Matt, who shook his head politely, and kept one for himself. After a few gulps, he asked again, "Now, vat's up? You're lookin' about as happy as Ludwig is on a daily basis."

Matthew gave him a cynical look and swatted his arm playfully. "Hey, now, that's not nice. He's your brother. Don't be mean."

"Vat? It's true. Bruder or not." Another gulp. "Now stop avoiding de subject, Matt. Vat ist going on?"

At this, the boy looked down. "I'm going away for awhile, Gilbert, and I don't know how long I'll be gone… Or… if I'm even coming back…" His last sentence came out a choked whisper, and impossibly, the albino heard it.

"So, you're saying you're final farevells? Let me guess, you called up Franzis and he vent all protective on you. Den you called Arthur und he reacted like de hot-head he is. Now, you are coming to visit me in person to zay gut-bye. I'm touched, Mattie. I really am."

Matthew felt the blood rush to his cheeks from embarrassment. "Well, they're not exactly close by, in terms of where they live! And, it's much easier to argue with Arthur over the phone… I figured that if I saw them in person, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to go…"

"But you already promised Alfred, did you not?"

The blond gave his friend a surprised look. Gilbert merely shrugged.

"He ist de only von who can make you do stupid t'ings like… vhatever it is, you are going to do. Anyone else?" He shook his head to make his point. "You vould zay no… Except to me, of course. But den… I don't do stupid t'ings. All mein ideas are awesome!"

"Right well… A-anyway, I just came to tell you that I'm leaving and I'm going to be gone awhile. So…" He trailed off, not sure of what else to say. A pair of strong, though not burly, pale arms encircled his form.

"Hey. Nothin' left to zay, ja? Ve von't go lookin' für ya until you've been gone more 'n 3 veeks or so. Sound gut?"

Matt smiled and rolled his eyes again. "Ja… That sounds… gut."

"Now, vat to you say to a little hockey und bier?"

"SHIT! The game's on and I'm missing it!" The boy ran to the living room and glued himself to the TV. The German laughed heartily and followed, bringing several beers with him.

Night fell.

* * *

An unnatural darkness crept about the tall trees while a haunting song resonated in the depths of the forest.

_Kupalinka, Kupalinka..._

_Tseomnaya nochka. Tseomnaya nochka._

_A dze zh tvaya dochka?  
_

_Kupalinkina, Kupalinka,_

_It's dark in the night. It's dark in the night._

_Where is your daughter?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Note**: Second chapter, yay! Right now I'm establishing some back story and I know it's kind of boring but I don't want to skip straight to action just yet. Sorry o3o;; I am going to start writing the third chapter soon enough. I haven't got the whole thing completely mapped out yet so I'm still in the planning stages.

Enjoy =)

* * *

The light of dawn stretched out over the horizon, barely touching the tops of the trees. Dew clung lovingly to the petals of the flowers surrounding the odd-looking cottage in the middle of the woods. A young maiden was kneeling amongst the blossoms, tending her garden, ridding it of weeds. She looked to the sky, ever lightening, and let out a soft noise. Hurrying into the house, the maiden fed the weeds to a burning fire. She watched as the flames flickered, changing colours as they danced to her song.

_Maya dochka ŭ sadochku  
Ruzhu, ruzhu polítsʹ  
Ruzhu, ruzhu polítsʹ  
Bely ruchkí kolítsʹ

* * *

_

"Yes, ma'am, I understand. I will. Yes, I'll be sure to have a good trip. Yes, thank you for being understanding. Good bye."

Alfred looked at his brother as he hung up the phone. "So's that it?"

"Yes, Al, that was the last of the phone calls. All the arrangements have been made for all my payments due in the next two months."

"Two months, man? Don't cha think that's a little overkill?" Alfred smirked.

Matthew responded with a dry look. "No. I don't. You never know what can happen, so it's best to be prepared. Besides," he smiled. "If we come back before the two months are up, I won't have to worry about my bills."

The older blond clapped sarcastically. "See? It's not so bad listening to your big bro', is it?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "I don't need to go on vacation, or a crazy wild-goose chase, to be able to pay my bills ahead of time, Alfred. And if I recall, _you're_ the one who was begging _me_ to come with you. You're just lucky I've built up a lot of paid vacation days."

"Well, I guess I am. Ain't that just dandy?"

"Right…" Matthew adopted a more serious tone. He scoured the small condo for anything he might have forgotten. A deep bark sounded from the modest backyard outside. "Ah! I forgot Bear. Alfred… who will take care of him? We can't possibly bring him with us." The Canadian-born blond let the large, white dog inside and knelt down to hug the animal.

"Chillax, Mattie. I'm sure will find someone. How 'bout Gilbert? You and I both know he has a soft spot for animals. And who could resist a big, white, fluffy, teddy bear dog like Bear."

"Well… I don't know. I trust Gilbert, but I don't know if I trust him enough. You don't think he'll try to… I don't know, get Bear drunk or something? Just for kicks."

"Well, that _does_ sound like something Gil would do," Alfred laughed.

"Alfred! You're not helping."

"I'm just kidding, Matt. You know that. But seriously, I think you can trust Gilbert enough to let him take care of Bear for a few weeks."

"Well…"

"Come _on_, Mattie! It's not that hard of a decision!"

"Okay, fine… but if Bear gets sick for any stupid reason, _you_ are the one paying for his vet bills!" The Canadian thrust a finger into his brother's chest for emphasis.

"Hey, why me? If Bear _does_ get sick, it's gonna be Gil's fault! Why not make him pay?"

"Because _you're_ the one encouraging me to let him take care of my dog, when you full well know how foolish he can be."

"Even though you trust him anyway," Alfred pointed out.

"Yes, well, that's beside the point."

"Look, Mattie, I think you can chill. You forgot one thing. Gilbert lives with his brother. His brother. Strict, orderly, stick-up-the-ass, Ludwig. I don't think anything is gonna go wrong with him there."

The young man pondered on his brother's words for a minute or two before speaking again. "You know what, you're right, Alfred."

"Of course I am!"

"…"

"Right. You were saying?"

"Yes… I'll just have to call and speak with Ludwig and Gilbert and make sure it's alright with them if we leave Bear there for a while."

"Sure, Mattie."

"And I'll have to prepare Bear's things for the next few weeks then bring them over there."

"Of course."

"Then, I'll have to—

"ALRIGHT! Matt, jeez… Just do whatever you have to, to make Bear comfortable at the Germans' house and then get back to me… oi vey!"

Matthew smirked at his brother's frustration. He waved Alfred out the door with a smug grin. "See you later, Alfred."

"Whatever, Matt. See ya!"

The door slammed shut.

* * *

The two fair-haired men sat at the table outside the café, one sipping excellent tea, the other a fine Café Au Lait. The latter smiled genially at the young women sitting at a nearby table, while, unknown to them, slyly eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Did you hear about the witch-hunter?" A fair-haired young girl said to her friend.

"Witch-hunter? I wasn't aware there was one in our town," her friend, a brunette, said in awe.

"Yes, it turns out—at least, this is what I heard from my sister who was told by her boyfriend—that Jones character, what's his name? Allen?"

"You mean Alfred."

"Yes, Alfred! As it turns out, he's a witch-hunter!"

The brunette girl laughed a pink blush upon her cheeks. "Well, that doesn't surprise me! That Alfred does just about everything, doesn't he?"

"Oh, stop your day-dreaming!" The blonde chastised. "This is serious! I haven't finished telling you everything!"

"What more could there possibly be?"

"Well… You know the woods on the border of the state?"

"Y-yes?"

"Rumour has it that Alfred and his brother—I don't know his name—are going to go after the witch that lives in those woods!" The towheaded girl finished her tale dramatically. Her friend covered her mouth in surprise.

"No! Not Alfred! Oh, he's so brave!"

Meanwhile, the tall blond man with the Café Au Lait stood up and made his way over to the table. "_Excusez_-_moi_, my ladies, but is this seat taken?" He gestured to an empty chair and, with a nod from the girls, sat down.

"I could not help but overhear your conversation. I happen to be a personal friend of the Mr. Jones you speak of, and of his brother, and I have it on good authority from the man himself that these two will be going on an escapade to those very woods in search of a powerful sorceress. But do not trouble your gracious heads over it, for _Monsieur_ Jones is an experienced and skillful adventurer who—"

"Oh, just shut up, all of you!" The other fair-haired man slammed his teacup onto his table, where now he sat alone, in annoyance. "While it may be true that Jones, that dolt of a boy, is going on such a venture, he is neither _experienced_ nor _skillful_. And he is certainly not _brave_!"

"Arthur! That is no way to speak to gentle-ladies! And you must have some faith in the boy!" The Frenchman retorted fiercely.

"Stupid frog, you don't know anything about him," the Brit answered with a glare and finality in his tone. The two men engaged in a match of will, each staring the other down, until finally the taller gave in. He stood and turned to address the girls, who stared with surprised and slightly frightened expressions, again. "_Pardonne_. My esteemed associate here seems to be in a rather foul state. To show you my sincerest apologies, your bill will be placed on my account. Perhaps I shall see you again, as I must escort him home now. _Au revoir_!"

The two fair-haired men made their way to the British man's home, though the Brit himself was rather unwilling. There, the two stood in silence—Arthur with a glare aimed at Francis, and the latter showing much weariness towards the Briton's behaviour.

"It would do you well, dear Arthur, to lighten your foul attitude."

"Just shut your trap. I'm in no mood to talk to you, frog."

Francis frowned. "Regardless…"

"If you want to talk, then talk your little prodigy out of such a stupid endeavour as witch-hunting!" Arthur said. To this, the Frenchman raised an eyebrow.

"I assume you are not referring to Alfred, but dear Mathieu, no?"

"Of course, I am referring to Matthew! No man can talk any sense into Jones, but Matthew is reasonable or at the very least sane."

"Surely you don't believe that they are in any real danger. There is no witch," Francis said, suddenly changing the subject.

Arthur paused, with a subtle shift in his expression. "O-of course. No witch, but that forest is still dangerous."

The shift was not lost on the taller man but he did not voice his concern. Instead, he accepted the other's statement and made his due farewell. Arthur entered his home with a fatigued sigh. Making his way up the stairs and to his bedroom, he stopped in front of a door locked and long out of use. The man stared at it with sad green eyes and muttered to himself: "No witch… of course not… No witch."

A hand hovered over the dull gold doorknob for a moment, until the flaxen-haired man shook his head and made his way, finally, to his own room. The light was switched off and the weary man went to sleep.


End file.
